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Irish Independent

Wicklow Gaelscoil faces loss of teacher because it is ‘only one pupil short of the threshold'

Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, has called on the government to intervene to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in Gaelscoileanna and to prevent the loss of a teacher from Gaelscoil Uí Chéadaigh, in Bray, this September. 'Following the crash in 2011, the government made the damaging decision to increase the pupil-teacher ratio in Gaelscoileanna, under the guise of aligning them with English-medium schools,' Deputy Brady said. 'This policy shift has had long-term consequences, and now we see those consequences play out locally in Gaelscoil Uí Chéadaigh, which is being forced to lose a teacher because they are only one pupil short of the threshold. It is disgraceful and deeply unfair,' he said. Deputy Brady said he has repeatedly raised the issue with the Education Minister Helen McEntee, but the Department has refused to consider exceptional circumstances, despite the significant impact this decision will now have on the school community, something he described as 'completely unacceptable'. 'I have been in contact with the Minister for Education, but despite the very clear case put forward by the school and community, there is a total unwillingness to show any flexibility. The result is that the children are being punished, staff are being stretched, and the quality of the education is being compromised', he said. The Wicklow TD also highlighted the 'hypocrisy at the heart of government claims' to support the Irish language and expand opportunities for Irish-medium education, while 'failing to back that rhetoric with real investment or meaningful policy change'. 'The Programme for Government set a target of 19:1 pupil teacher ratio for primary schools. But the reality in classrooms, particularly in many Gaelscoileanna, is worlds apart. Schools are overcrowded, under-resourced and under constant pressure. The decision to strip Gaelscoil Uí Chéadaigh of a teacher shows just how little regard this Government has for Irish-medium schools and for the children who attend them,' he said. He also criticised what he described as 'the ongoing failure of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments' to tackle staffing issues in Gaelcholaistí, pointing to Coláiste Ráithín, in Bray, as an example of a school facing persistent difficulties. 'Year after year, Coláiste Ráithín is left scrambling to fill teaching posts due to staff shortages beyond their control. It is a repeated cycle that the Government refuses to fix. They 'talk the talk' regarding the Irish language, but when it comes to real support for the schools delivering Irish-language education, they vanish. It is a fantastic school, and they should not have this constant worry,' he said. He said that unless the Government reinstates the previous, lower pupil-teacher ratio for Gaelscoileanna and immediately intervenes to prevent the loss of staff at Gaelscoil Uí Chéadaigh, they will continue to fail children, parents and communities who recognise the value of Irish-medium education. 'If the government is serious about investing in children's education, about supporting the Irish language, and about giving real choice to families as to where they send their children to school, they must act now,' he concluded.